I’m a first time poster, with a big, expensive repair situation. I’m hoping you can provide some wisdom and assistance in appealing for a goodwill warranty extension where I'm arguing the difference between model year and manufacture date.
Three weeks ago our Odyssey suddenly lost power on the highway. We took it to our local shop and they found 6 diagnostic codes. After a week of working on it, the manager was still suspicious that something bigger was going on. He did some research and discovered the 2014 Honda Engine Misfire Class Action Settlement. He told us it matched the symptoms and error codes our car was exhibiting, and we should take it to the Honda dealer.
The full information on the Engine Misfire case is available here, but in quick summary, the Settlement Class Vehicles include Odysseys from Model Year 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 that are equipped with a 6-cylinder engine with Variable Cylinder Management (“VCM-2”). The Engine Misfire at issue generates one or more of the following vehicle diagnostic trouble codes (“DTC”): P0301, P0302, P0303, or P0304.
The class action settlement is a legal agreement defined by model year as documented in the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Our car was manufactured in August 2007 at the very end of the model year, so our '07 VIN does not meet the cutoff for '08 models. We've contacted the Class Action administrator and the lead attorney, and both said that we cannot be included in the settlement. The qualifying vehicles also included the Accord, Pilot, and Crosstour for a whopping 1,870,000 potential vehicles. No wonder they’re not letting in any strays!
If this engine misfire defect had resulted in a massive recall instead of a class action settlement, the included vehicles would be defined by Honda’s manufacture date for the parts, not model year. For instance, here is the language used in two of the NHTSA Recalls for the 2007 Odyssey:
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 8, 2006, through September 8, 2008. Due to a combination of system components and software, the Vehicle Safety Assist System (VSA) may apply the brakes unexpectedly.
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain 2005-2010 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured June 23, 2004, through September 4, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the fuel pump strainer cover may deteriorate allowing fuel to leak out.
So if the problem were defined by Honda instead of the court, we likely would have been included with our August manufacture date.
The Engine Misfire Settlement had two parts. All owners received an extended 8 year powertrain warranty with no mileage limit. If an owner filed a claim by April 2014, they got an extended 8 year powertrain warranty with no mileage limit PLUS reimbursement for out of pocket expenses associated with the Engine Misfire diagnostic codes like spark plugs, valve stem seals, and engine pistons and/or pistons rings (a "ring job"). It even acknowledged more extensive repairs like ignition coils, the engine long block, the engine short block, and the valve timing chain and/or valve timing tensioner.
In our case, we've got the whole shebang of trouble. We had a week of repairs at our local shop costing $2800 to replace damaged parts (pistons, rings, catalytic converters, oxygen sensors) and two weeks of repairs at the Honda Dealership costing $6600 to replace the short block engine and valve seals. Much of the cost at the dealership was slow and deliberate dismantling of the engine to satisfy Honda North America’s requirements for documentation of the defect. Frankly, putting in a new or rebuilt engine would have been faster and cheaper than taking the whole thing apart.
If our car was manufactured a month later (September 2007) and the engine misfire happened a year sooner (April 2014), the entire $9400 would have been under the extended warranty and reimbursement plan. Since we do not meet those criteria, we are getting a “good will discount” of $2700 from Honda and the dealership, leaving us with the remaining $3900 bill to get our car reassembled, plus all the earlier repairs to the damaged parts.
We are now appealing the case to the dealership by writing a formal letter of appeal with all the supporting documentation for the points I have covered here. We are asking for the same offer as the class action group: an 8 year extended powertrain warranty with no mileage limitation. If they do not raise the financial assistance, we will continue our case with BBB Autoline.
So, Odyclub folks, do you have any tips, recommendations, or additional documentation we can use for our case?
Thank you!
Three weeks ago our Odyssey suddenly lost power on the highway. We took it to our local shop and they found 6 diagnostic codes. After a week of working on it, the manager was still suspicious that something bigger was going on. He did some research and discovered the 2014 Honda Engine Misfire Class Action Settlement. He told us it matched the symptoms and error codes our car was exhibiting, and we should take it to the Honda dealer.
The full information on the Engine Misfire case is available here, but in quick summary, the Settlement Class Vehicles include Odysseys from Model Year 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 that are equipped with a 6-cylinder engine with Variable Cylinder Management (“VCM-2”). The Engine Misfire at issue generates one or more of the following vehicle diagnostic trouble codes (“DTC”): P0301, P0302, P0303, or P0304.
The class action settlement is a legal agreement defined by model year as documented in the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Our car was manufactured in August 2007 at the very end of the model year, so our '07 VIN does not meet the cutoff for '08 models. We've contacted the Class Action administrator and the lead attorney, and both said that we cannot be included in the settlement. The qualifying vehicles also included the Accord, Pilot, and Crosstour for a whopping 1,870,000 potential vehicles. No wonder they’re not letting in any strays!
If this engine misfire defect had resulted in a massive recall instead of a class action settlement, the included vehicles would be defined by Honda’s manufacture date for the parts, not model year. For instance, here is the language used in two of the NHTSA Recalls for the 2007 Odyssey:
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 8, 2006, through September 8, 2008. Due to a combination of system components and software, the Vehicle Safety Assist System (VSA) may apply the brakes unexpectedly.
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain 2005-2010 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured June 23, 2004, through September 4, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the fuel pump strainer cover may deteriorate allowing fuel to leak out.
So if the problem were defined by Honda instead of the court, we likely would have been included with our August manufacture date.
The Engine Misfire Settlement had two parts. All owners received an extended 8 year powertrain warranty with no mileage limit. If an owner filed a claim by April 2014, they got an extended 8 year powertrain warranty with no mileage limit PLUS reimbursement for out of pocket expenses associated with the Engine Misfire diagnostic codes like spark plugs, valve stem seals, and engine pistons and/or pistons rings (a "ring job"). It even acknowledged more extensive repairs like ignition coils, the engine long block, the engine short block, and the valve timing chain and/or valve timing tensioner.
In our case, we've got the whole shebang of trouble. We had a week of repairs at our local shop costing $2800 to replace damaged parts (pistons, rings, catalytic converters, oxygen sensors) and two weeks of repairs at the Honda Dealership costing $6600 to replace the short block engine and valve seals. Much of the cost at the dealership was slow and deliberate dismantling of the engine to satisfy Honda North America’s requirements for documentation of the defect. Frankly, putting in a new or rebuilt engine would have been faster and cheaper than taking the whole thing apart.
If our car was manufactured a month later (September 2007) and the engine misfire happened a year sooner (April 2014), the entire $9400 would have been under the extended warranty and reimbursement plan. Since we do not meet those criteria, we are getting a “good will discount” of $2700 from Honda and the dealership, leaving us with the remaining $3900 bill to get our car reassembled, plus all the earlier repairs to the damaged parts.
We are now appealing the case to the dealership by writing a formal letter of appeal with all the supporting documentation for the points I have covered here. We are asking for the same offer as the class action group: an 8 year extended powertrain warranty with no mileage limitation. If they do not raise the financial assistance, we will continue our case with BBB Autoline.
So, Odyclub folks, do you have any tips, recommendations, or additional documentation we can use for our case?
Thank you!
